Open foot superheater support



Jan.4;1949.. E RAWSON 2,458,029

OPEN FOOT SUPERHEATER SUPPORT Filed Dec. 20, 1944 ''MflNl/EL RHWSON INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 4, 1949 OPEN FOOT SUPERHEATER SUPPORT Emanuel Rawson, Chicago, 111., assignor to The superheater Company, New York, N. Y.

Application December 20, 1944, Serial No. 568,969

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in tube supports and particularly to supports for superheater tubes located in the flues of a fire tube boiler.

The invention is directed to tube supports formed by shaping metallic strips to provide tube encircling eyes with the end portions of the strip for each tube bent to form a foot resting on the bottom of the flue. Such a support is shown in the patent to Smith, 2,003,838 of June 4, 1935, and is known as an open foot support as distinguished from the cradle type support shown in his Patent 2,032,445 of March 3, 1936 wherein a continuous arcuate portion resting on the bottom of the flues is continuous with one end of the strip portion extending around each of the two parallel tubes.

The open foot type of support has several disadvantages, as indicated by conditions arising in service, inasmuch as the foot portion of the support frequently deformed easily and became bent, due to rough handling in inserting the superheater tubes in the flue or in removing them therefrom. Thus instead of maintaining a full bearing contact between the foot of the support and the flue contact area between these parts became considerably reduced and often resulted in rapid flue wear due to the bent feet digging into the flue, The deformation of the feet of the supports also cause these parts to obstruct the free area of the flue and thus act as deflectors for cinders with consequential accelerated wearing of the flue and of the support itself.

The present invention contemplates the improvement of an open foot type support by shaping and forming the end portions of a metallic strip so as to provide a stronger and more durable foot for the support.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a fragmentary portion of a locomotive flue showing a superheater tube mounted therein and supported in proper position in the flue by a sup port embodying the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through the flue on the line 2-2 in Figure 1 and illustrates the construction of the supports.

In the drawings the numeral l designates a flue of a fire tube boiler within which are mounted two parallel superheater tubes II. The tubes H are held in the desired position in the flue ID by means of a support designated as a whole by the numeral 12 and constituted by two metallic strips each formed to provide a loop or eye embracing one tube and having a foot resting on the base of the flue. The parts of the support for each of the two tubes H are substantially identical and each comprises a metallic strip 53 shaped between its ends to provide a tube embracing loop 14. The portion l5 of the strip at one end extends substantially radially from the tube and is shaped at the extreme end portion to form a right angled foot Hi resting on. the bottom of the flue. The part I! at the other end of the strip is also generally radial and bent to contact the part l5 and its extreme end portion I8 is shaped to rest upon the foot portion l6 and is in contact with the latter. The end portions I5, ll of the strip are held together as by riveting or welding. The foot 16 of the support is reinforced by the overlying portion l8 so that it is considerably more resistant to bending and deformation than supports that have been used heretofore. The two parts of a complete support are welded or riveted together at 2| where specially provided spacing projections 20 contact each other.

What I claim is:

A support for a superheater tube or the like mounted in a flue comprising; a strip of material shaped to form a tube embracing loop with a pair of substantially co-extensive parts extending generally radially from the tube in contacting relation and having both extreme end portions of said parts lying against each other and bent at substantially right angles to the body portions of said radial parts to form a double-ply foot engaging the flue.

EMANUEL RAWSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,003,838 Smith June 4, 1935 2,032,445 Smith May 3, 1936 2,387,295 Robertson Oct. 23, 1945 

